This application relates to the art of building insulation and, more particularly, to apparatus for use in installing insulation on building walls. Although the invention is particularly applicable for use in the installation of building wall insulation, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present application can be used for installing other flexible material and that certain features of the invention may be used for other purposes.
During the fabrication of metal frame buildings, wall installation commonly is installed by placing a roll of insulation on a carriage and supporting the carriage on the building roof framework. The carriage travels across the roof along a side wall as strips of insulation are dispensed from the roll and secured to the building wall. Typical apparatus of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,992,847 and 4,078,355. In another arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,398, a cage that is supported on the tines of a forklift carries two rolls of insulation with one being above the other.
When apparatus of the type described is used along a portion of the roof that is horizontal, the insulation hangs straight down for easy installation. However, when such apparatus is used along a building wall where the roof slopes from one end of the wall to the other, the carriage is inclined to the horizontal from side-to-side and strips of insulation do not hang straight down from the carriage. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an arrangement for leveling the axis of the roll of insulation when the carriage is inclined.
The carriage tends to slide or lose traction when traveling uphill on a sloping roof, and it would be desirable to provide a positive drive arrangement to insure that the carriage will not slip and will be positively driven.
Apparatus of the type described commonly supports only one roll of insulation or a second roll that is not conveniently movable to a dispensing position. It would be desirable to have an arrangement for supporting at least three rolls of insulation so that all or a significant portion of a building wall may be insulated before it is necessary to reload the carriage with additional rolls of insulation.
Apparatus of the type described comprises a carriage having a base frame on which an upper frame is tiltably supported. When the base frame is inclined to the horizontal from side-to-side, the upper frame can be tilted relative to the base frame for leveling the axis of an insulation roll supported thereon.
In a preferred arrangement, the upper frame supports at least three rolls of insulation on a pair of spaced-apart parallel elongated rails. The rails preferably are provided with teeth along their upper surfaces, and the insulation rolls have mandrels with toothed sprockets to prevent skewing of an insulation roll when it is moved along the rails. An insulation dispensing station at the front end of the rails holds an insulation roll against movement while allowing rotation thereof for dispensing strips of insulation material.
The base frame is supported by rolling elements that are positively driven. The rolling elements have cylindrical hubs and radial flanges that are circumferentially toothed to function as cogwheels. When the carriage moves along horizontal purlins, it is supported on the cylindrical hubs of the rolling elements with the flanges on the upslope side of the purlins for holding the carriage on the roof frame work. When the carriage travels along a sloping roof, strut members are clamped or otherwise temporarily secured to the roof purlins. The struts have spaced-apart slots in the webs to function as cogwheel tracks that are engaged by the cogwheels on the rolling elements to provide a positive cogwheel-type of drive.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved carriage for use in installing building wall insulation.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a carriage that permits leveling of an insulation roll supported thereon even though the carriage base may be inclined to the horizontal from side-to-side.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a carriage having a plurality of positively driven rolling elements for moving the carriage along a building roof framework.